Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
  • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
  • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
  • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
  • B41J2/01—Ink jet
  • B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
  • B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
  • B41J2/17503—Ink cartridges
  • B41J2/1752—Mounting within the printer
  • B41J2/17523—Ink connection
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
  • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
  • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
  • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
  • B41J2/01—Ink jet
  • B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
  • B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
  • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
  • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
  • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
  • B41J2/01—Ink jet
  • B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
  • B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
  • B41J2/17503—Ink cartridges
  • B41J2/17506—Refilling of the cartridge
  • B41J2/17509—Whilst mounted in the printer
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
  • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
  • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
  • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
  • B41J2/01—Ink jet
  • B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
  • B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
  • B41J2/17503—Ink cartridges
  • B41J2/1752—Mounting within the printer

Definitions

• Printing systems are a type of fluid dispensing system that can be used to print images and/or text onto a print medium or print target.
• Some printing systems can include a moveable carriage to which a printhead assembly is attached.
• the printhead assembly can deliver printing fluid to a print medium or print target during operation of the printing system.
• Printing fluid can be supplied to a printhead assembly by an on-axis fluid supply that travels along with the printhead assembly on the moveable carriage, or by an off-axis, stationary fluid supply that supplies fluid to the printhead assembly through a tube or other fluid conduit.
• FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an example printing system in which examples of a fluid supply assembly may be implemented
• FIG. 2 shows an example fluid supply assembly in which a fluid pump is incorporated to control the flow of printing fluid
• FIG. 3 shows an example fluid supply assembly in which multiple off-axis printing fluid supplies are fluidically coupled to a printhead assembly through a fluid conduit;
• FIG. 4a shows a side view of an example arrangement that includes a printing system carriage, a printhead assembly, and a fluid conduit interconnect in an unattached condition;
• FIG. 4b shows a side view of an example arrangement of a carriage, a printhead assembly, and a fluid conduit interconnect in a mounted but unattached condition
• FIG. 4c shows a side view of an example arrangement of a carriage, a printhead assembly, and a fluid conduit interconnect in a mounted and attached condition
• FIG. 5a shows a perspective view of an example arrangement that includes a printing system carriage, a printhead assembly, and a fluid conduit interconnect in an unattached condition;
• FIG. 5b shows a perspective view of an example arrangement of a carriage, a printhead assembly, and a fluid conduit interconnect in a mounted but unattached condition
• FIG. 5c shows a perspective view of an example arrangement of a carriage, a printhead assembly, and a fluid conduit interconnect in a mounted and attached condition
• FIGs. 6a and 6b show an example of a fluid conduit interconnect and printhead assembly being attached using threaded, tool-operable fasteners through an interface
• FIG. 7 shows a flow diagram of an example process of forming an example arrangement of components of a fluid supply assembly within a printing system.
• identical reference numbers designate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements.
• Printing systems can include on-axis and off-axis printing fluid supply systems to facilitate the printing of text and/or images onto print media or other print targets.
• Some example printing systems can include both on-axis and off-axis fluid supplies, while other example systems can include either on-axis or off-axis fluid supplies.
• An on-axis printing fluid supply system can include one or multiple printing fluid supplies that are installed on or integrated within a printhead assembly.
• a printing fluid supply can include a container that holds printing fluid that is to be delivered to the printhead assembly.
• a printing fluid can include various types of printing fluids, such as different colored inks (e.g., cyan, magenta, yellow, black ink), or other types of printing fluid such as finishing fluids, fusing agents, and so on.
• printing fluids such as different colored inks (e.g., cyan, magenta, yellow, black ink), or other types of printing fluid such as finishing fluids, fusing agents, and so on.
• ink e.g., cyan, magenta, yellow, black ink
• finishing fluids e.g., fusing agents, and so on.
• a print medium can include paper, a transparency foil, or any other medium onto which printing fluid can be deposited to form an image and/or text.
• a print target can refer to either a two-dimensional (2D) print medium or a three-dimensional (3D) structure on which 3D printing can be performed.
• a print medium it is noted that techniques and/or mechanisms presented throughout this disclosure can also be used with a 3D print target such as a bed of print material, for example.
• a "printing system” may refer to a 2D printing system or a 3D printing system.
• a printhead assembly can include one or multiple printing fluid ejectors (e.g., printheads) to eject printing fluid received from the one or multiple printing fluid supplies onto a print target or medium during operation of the printing system.
• the printhead assembly can be attached to a moveable carriage of the printing system. During operation of the printing system, the moveable carriage of the printing system can move back and forth with respect to the print medium as printing fluid is deposited onto the print medium. With an on-axis fluid printing supply system, the printing fluid supply or supplies installed on or within the printhead assembly move with the carriage.
• An off-axis printing supply system includes one or multiple printing fluid supplies that are separated from the printhead assembly.
• An off-axis printing fluid supply can be attached to another part of the printing system that is remote from the printhead assembly, or it can be attached outside of and away from the printing system.
• an off-axis fluid supply remains stationary with respect to the printhead assembly and carriage during operation of the printing system while the printhead assembly and carriage are moved back and forth to print onto a print medium.
• a print fluid conduit can be used to communicate printing fluid between each respective printing fluid supply and printing fluid ejector within the printhead assembly.
• a print fluid conduit can include, for example, one or multiple flexible tubes or other types of fluid communication structures.
• a carriage designed for an off-axis printing fluid supply system may have a carriage designed to accommodate an on-axis printing fluid supply system, customers often desire to have an off-axis fluid supply because it provides a larger volume of ink than is available from an on-axis fluid supply.
• a carriage designed for an off-axis printing fluid supply system may be different from a carriage designed for an on-axis printing fluid supply system, since the carriage for the off-axis printing fluid supply system will accommodate fluid conduits (e.g. tubes) from the off-axis printing fluid supplies.
• fluid conduits e.g. tubes
• examples presented herein of a fluid supply assembly in a printing system provide access to an off-axis printing fluid supply using a carriage that was initially designed for use with an on-axis fluid supply.
• the fluid supply assembly includes a printhead assembly (PHA) and a fluid conduit interconnect to supply printing fluid from an off-axis supply to the PHA.
• the fluid conduit interconnect can be connected to a fluid conduit or fluid conduits to provide/communicate printing fluid from the off-axis printing fluid supply through the fluid conduit interconnect to the printhead assembly. Connection of the fluid conduit to the fluid conduit interconnect instead of directly to the printhead assembly enables the printhead assembly to be more easily removed from the printing system for service or replacement.
• the printhead assembly is removably attachable to the printing system carriage by a quick-release, hand-operable attachment mechanism of the carriage.
• the attachment mechanism can be part of the printhead assembly.
• the hand-operable attachment mechanism is operable by a user to attach the printhead assembly to the carriage in a single action or motion.
• the hand-operable attachment mechanism includes a moveable member such as a lever that can be actuated by a user to attach or detach the printhead assembly.
• the fluid conduit interconnect is more rigidly fastened to the printhead assembly in a semi-permanent manner.
• the rigid attachment of the fluid conduit interconnect to the printhead assembly can be achieved through the use of various tool-operable fasteners, such as threaded screw fasteners.
• the attachment and detachment of the fluid conduit interconnect with respect to the printhead assembly is not a hand-operable maneuver readily performed by the user. Rather, a tool is to be used to effect the more rigid and semi-permanent attachment of the fluid conduit interconnect to the printhead assembly.
• the rigid attachment of the fluid conduit interconnect to the printhead assembly helps to meet one of the challenges presented when using an off-axis printing fluid supply, which is how to maintain a robust fluidic connection between the off-axis fluid supply and printhead assembly as the printhead assembly is ferried back and forth across the print target by the carriage.
• a levered attachment mechanism such as that used in some examples to removably attach the printhead assembly to the carriage, may not be adequate to maintain an attachment between the fluid conduit interconnect and the printhead assembly.
• stresses applied by the fluid conduit against the fluid conduit interconnect can increase if the printing system is jostled about or dropped, or if the fluid conduit is pulled on.
• examples of a fluid supply assembly that include a rigid attachment of a fluid conduit interconnect to a printhead assembly.
• a fluid supply assembly includes a printhead assembly, and a carriage includes a quick-release, hand-operable attachment mechanism to removably attach the printhead assembly to the carriage.
• a fluid conduit interconnect is rigidly attached to the printhead assembly by a tool-operable fastener. The fluid conduit interconnect is to connect to a fluid conduit to communicate printing fluid from an off-axis printing fluid supply to the printhead assembly.
• a printing system in another example implementation, includes an off-axis printing fluid supply and a printhead assembly.
• a carriage of the printing system includes a hand-operable attachment mechanism moveable between a locked and unlocked position. The locked position is to secure the printhead assembly to the carriage, and the unlocked position is to release the printhead assembly from the carriage.
• a fluid conduit which is rigidly attached to the printhead assembly by a threaded fastener, is to provide printing fluid from the off-axis printing fluid supply to the printhead assembly through a fluid conduit.
• a method in another example implementation, includes providing a printhead assembly that is removably attachable to a printing system carriage by a hand-operable lever of an attachment mechanism, and providing a fluid conduit interconnect to communicate printing fluid from an off-axis printing fluid supply through a fluid conduit to the printhead assembly.
• the fluid conduit interconnect is rigidly attached to the printhead assembly by a tool-operable, threaded fastener.
• FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an example printing system 100 in which examples of a fluid supply assembly 102 may be implemented.
• an example fluid supply assembly 102 includes a moveable carriage 104.
• the carriage 104 can be slidably mounted onto a printing system shaft (not shown) and translated back and forth along the shaft as indicated by the directional arrow 106 in response to communications and/or control signals from a printing system controller (not shown).
• the carriage 104 is able to receive a printhead assembly (PHA) 108 that can be removably attached to the carriage 104 by a quick-release, hand-operable attachment mechanism 1 12.
• PHA printhead assembly
• a fluid conduit interconnect (FCI) 1 10 can be attached to the printhead assembly 108 by a fastener or fasteners 1 13.
• the attachment of the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 to the printhead assembly 108 is a rigid attachment that is semi-permanent.
• the rigid, semipermanent attachment can be achieved through the use of tool-operable fasteners 1 13, such as threaded fasteners that are operable by a screwdriver or other suitable torquing mechanism.
• a rigid or firm attachment between objects such as a fluid conduit interconnect and printhead assembly can be achieved using threaded fasteners, for example, because of the amplification of fastening force created by an application of relatively low torque or rotational force to the fastener.
• a "semi-permanent attachment" is intended to indicate an attachment that is rigidly maintained by a mechanical fastener that is not a hand-operable fastener.
• a semi-permanent attachment is not a permanent attachment because a tool can be used to mechanically manipulate the fastener to undo the attachment.
• the mechanical manipulation used to undo the attachment additionally indicates that a semi-permanent attachment is not a removable, quick-release, or hand-operable attachment as generally described herein with regard to the attachment of the printhead assembly to the carriage.
• the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 can be connected to a printing fluid conduit 1 14 which in turn can be connected to an off-axis printing fluid supply 1 16.
• the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 enables printing fluid from the off- axis printing fluid supply 1 16 to flow to the printhead assembly (PHA) 108 through the fluid conduit 1 14 and the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10.
• the printing fluid can flow from the fluid supply 1 16 to the PHA 108 under the force of gravity.
• the printing system 100 can include a pump to facilitate and/or cause the flow of printing fluid from the off-axis printing fluid supply 1 16 to the PHA 108.
• the printing system 100 can include multiple off-axis printing fluid supplies 1 16 that are fluidically coupled to the PHA 108 through multiple fluid conduits 1 14 and the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10.
• FIG. 2 shows an example fluid supply assembly 102 in which a fluid pump 1 18 (illustrated as fluid pump 1 18a and fluid pump 1 18b) is incorporated to control the flow of printing fluid from the off-axis printing fluid supply 1 12 to the PHA 108.
• a fluid pump 1 18 can be activated and controlled, for example, by a controller (not shown) of the printing system 100.
• a fluid pump 1 18 may be positioned in different locations within the fluid supply assembly 102.
• a fluid pump 1 18a can be positioned in-line with the fluid conduit 1 14.
• a fluid pump 1 18b (illustrated in dashed lines) can be positioned at the off-axis fluid supply 1 16.
• a fluid pump 1 18 can be any suitable type of pump to cause fluid to flow from the off-axis fluid supply 1 16 through the fluid conduit 1 14 and fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 to the printhead assembly 108.
• Suitable pumps may include, for example, a fluid pump, a pneumatic pump, a pneumatic driven fluid pump, and so on.
• FIG. 3 shows an example fluid supply assembly 102 in which multiple off-axis printing fluid supplies 1 16 are fluidically coupled to the PHA 108 through a fluid conduit 1 14 and fluid conduit interconnect 1 10.
• the fluid conduit 1 14 can comprise flexible ribbon tubing that includes multiple tubes or fluid paths for interconnecting the printing fluid supplies 1 16 to the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10.
• the fluid conduit/tubing 1 14 can be made of various materials such as nylon, polyurethane, polyethylene, polypropylene, poly-vinyl chloride, synthetic rubber, natural rubber, polymer, plastic, Teflon, metal, and combinations thereof.
• the printing fluid supplies 1 16 can contain various printing fluids, such as different colored inks, finishing fluids, fusing agents, and so on.
• the multiple off-axis fluid supplies 1 16 can be connected to a fluid pump such as the fluid pump 1 18 shown and discussed with regard to FIG. 2.
• a fluid pump such as the fluid pump 1 18 shown and discussed with regard to FIG. 2.
• Such a pump can be connected to the fluid supplies 1 16 through pressure pipes, for example, and can be activated in a selective manner by a controller (not shown) to pressurize the fluid supplies 1 16 to cause fluid from a particular supply 1 16 to flow through a particular tube or fluid pathway to the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 and PHA 108.
• a printing fluid supply 1 16 can be said to be an "off-axis” printing fluid supply 1 16 because it is located away from the printing system carriage 104 and remains in a stationary position within the printing system 100 during operation of the printing system 100.
• an off-axis printing fluid supply 1 16 may be located outside of and away from the printing system 100.
• the PHA 108 can be said to be "on-axis” because of its attachability to the carriage 104, which enables the PHA 108 and rigidly connected fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 to move with the carriage 104 as it translates in a back and forth direction as indicated by the directional arrow 106.
• the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 can also be said to be on-axis.
• the PHA 108 can receive printing fluid via the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 and can eject printing fluid from one or multiple printing fluid ejectors onto a print target or print medium 120 to generate text and/or images in response to communications and/or control signals from the printing system controller (not shown).
• the carriage 104 can be a stationary carriage that extends across a width of a print medium 120.
• a printhead assembly 108 attached to a stationary carriage 104 may include enough printing fluid ejectors to extend across the width of the print medium 120 along the stationary carriage.
• a print medium 120 may be moveable relative to the stationary carriage 104.
• a print medium 120 or print target can include, for example, suitable cut-sheet or roll-fed media such as paper, card stock, transparencies, fabric, canvas, polyester, and so on.
• a print target can also refer to a 3D structure or 3D bed of print material for use in a 3D printing system.
• the ability to provide increased volumes of printing fluid to the PHA 108 from an off-axis printing fluid supply 1 16 through a printing fluid conduit 1 14 and fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 enables the use of a single carriage design across various printing systems.
• the versatility of using off-axis printing fluid supplies helps extend the applicability of such printing systems to a wider range of printing applications, for example, from small, home or personal printing applications, to larger industrial or commercial printing applications that consume more printing fluid.
• the ability to remove the PHA 108, and then to service or replace the PHA 108 can be a desirable feature that enables consumers to quickly and efficiently service printing systems while reducing printing downtime.
• FIGs. 4 and 5 illustrate a general process of mounting and attaching a fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 and printhead assembly (PHA) 108 to one another and to a printing system carriage 104.
• FIG. 4a shows a side view of a basic block diagram representation of an example arrangement that includes a printing system carriage 104, a PHA 108, and a fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 in an unattached condition, where the PHA 108 and fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 are not yet mounted or attached to one another or to the carriage 104.
• FIG. 5a shows a perspective view of the example arrangement of FIG. 4a that includes additional details of the printing system carriage 104, the PHA 108, and the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10, in the unattached condition. In both FIGs.
• the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 is aligned with the PHA 108 in preparation for attachment to the PHA 108 using tool-operable fasteners 1 13.
• the PHA 108 is aligned with the carriage 104, as indicated by dashed direction arrows, in preparation for being mounted and attached to the carriage 104.
• FIG. 4b shows a side view of an example arrangement of the carriage 104, the PHA 108, and the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10, in which the PHA 108 and fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 are mounted to one another and to the carriage 104, but are not yet attached to one another or to the carriage 104.
• FIG. 5b shows a perspective view with additional details of the example arrangement of FIG. 4b in which the carriage 104, the PHA 108, and the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 are mounted to one another but not yet attached to one another.
• FIG. 4c shows a side view of an example arrangement of the carriage 104, the PHA 108, and the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10, in which the PHA 108 is mounted and attached to the carriage 104 with hand-operable attachment mechanism 1 12, and the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 is mounted and attached to the PHA 108 with tool-operable fasteners 1 13. It is noted that in different examples, a greater or lesser number of fasteners 1 13 can be used to rigidly attach the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 to the PHA 108.
• FIG. 5c shows a perspective view with additional details of the example arrangement of FIG. 4c in which the PHA 108 is mounted and attached to the carriage 104 with the hand- operable attachment mechanism 1 12, and the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 is mounted and attached to the PHA 108 with the tool-operable fasteners 1 13.
• a quick-release, hand- operable attachment mechanism 1 12 can comprise a latching mechanism 1 12 that includes a moveable lever 122 (or other type of moveable member) that can be hand-actuated by a user between an unlocked position (e.g., the position shown in FIGs. 4b and 5b) and a locked position (e.g., the position shown in FIGs. 4c and 5c).
• the hand- operable latching mechanism 1 12 can include a rotatable latch spindle 124 with latch openings 126 for receiving respective engagement members 128 of the printhead assembly (PHA) 108.
• the engagement members 128 can be in the form of protrusions 128 (e.g. horns) that can be received into the latch openings 126 of the latch spindle 124 upon user actuation of the moveable lever 122, as indicated by circular direction arrows 130 (FIGs. 4b and 5b).
• User actuation of the moveable lever 122 rotates the rotatable latch spindle 124 in the direction 130 and puts the dual latching mechanism 1 12 into the locked position which removably attaches the PHA 108 to the carriage 104.
• FIGs. 1 - 5 for engaging the engagement members 128 of the PHA 108
• FIGs. 1 - 5 for engaging the engagement members 128 of the PHA 108
• other types of attachment mechanisms for engaging and attaching the PHA 108 to the carriage 104 can be used.
• fasteners 1 13 comprise tool- operable fasteners 1 13 that can be inserted through the fluid conduit interconnect housing to engage the printhead assembly 108.
• the tool-operable fasteners 1 13 can be any of a variety of threaded fasteners including screws, bolts, and the like operable using a screwdriver or other torquing mechanism.
• the tool-operable fasteners 1 13 can be partially threaded such that a portion of the fastener shank is not threaded.
• the fasteners 1 13 are partially threaded fasteners that have portions of the shank that are unthreaded toward the head end the fastener.
• the fasteners 1 13 are to fit into through-holes 132 on one side or surface of the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 and engage the printhead assembly at the opposite side or surface of the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10.
• the through-holes 132 in the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 can have smooth interiors that are not threaded. Thus, there is no threaded engagement between the fasteners 1 13 and the through-holes 132. In other examples, the through-holes 132 can be threaded, and the fasteners 1 13 can be fully threaded. In such examples, there can be threaded engagement between the fasteners 1 13 and the through-holes 132.
• printhead assembly 108 includes fastening elements 134 disposed in its surface to receive the tool-operable fasteners 1 13.
• Fastening elements 134 in the surface of the printhead assembly 108 can include various threaded elements 134 such as, for example, a tapped hole, a threaded bushing, a captive nut, an externally threaded insert, a helical insert, and a mold- in insert.
• threaded elements 134 such as, for example, a tapped hole, a threaded bushing, a captive nut, an externally threaded insert, a helical insert, and a mold- in insert.
• the printhead assembly 108 can include alignment grooves 138 to align with alignment ribs (not shown) of the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10.
• the alignment ribs can be brought into engagement with the alignment grooves 138 to align fluid connecting elements 140 on the printhead assembly 108 with respective fluid connecting elements 142 on the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10.
• other types of alignment elements can be provided on the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 and printhead assembly 108 to align the fluid connecting elements 140 on the printhead assembly 108 with respective fluid connecting elements 142 on the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10.
• the fluid connecting elements 140 and 142 can each include a passageway and a cooperative fluid transfer mechanism associated with the passageway that enables fluid to flow from the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 to the PHA 108.
• the fluid transfer mechanism can include a needle-septum interface where a hollow needle in a passageway of the fluid connecting element 140, for example, can engage with a respective septum of the corresponding fluid connecting element 142.
• a hollow needle can be provided in the fluid connecting element 142, and a septum can be provided in the fluid connecting element 140.
• the carriage 104 includes a printing system shaft receptacle 144 that can be mounted onto a shaft (not shown) of the printing system 100 to allow the carriage 104 to be moveable along the shaft during operation of the printing system 100.
• FIGs. 6a and 6b show a fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 and printhead assembly 108 being attached using threaded, tool-operable fasteners 1 13, through an interface 146.
• An interface 146 may comprise an interface bracket or plate or other suitable interface mechanism that enables a rigid attachment of the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 to the printhead assembly 108 using the threaded, tool-operable fasteners 1 13.
• additional fasteners (not shown) can be used to separately attach the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 to the interface 146, and attach the printhead assembly 108 to the interface 146.
• FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an example process 700 of forming an example arrangement of components of a fluid supply assembly within a printing system.
• the process 700 provides (702) a printhead assembly 108 that is removably attachable to a printing system carriage 104 by a hand-operable lever 122 of an attachment mechanism 1 12, and a fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 to communicate printing fluid from an off-axis printing fluid supply 1 16 through a fluid conduit 1 14 to the printhead assembly 108.
• the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 is rigidly attached to the printhead assembly 108 by a tool-operable, threaded fastener 1 13.
• the process 700 also provides (704) an interface bracket 146 between the printhead assembly 108 and the fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 to which the printhead assembly 108 and fluid conduit interconnect 1 10 are both rigidly attached by tool-operable, threaded fasteners 1 13.

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• Ink Jet (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (3)

Family

ID=59398484

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Family Cites Families (20)

• 2016
  • 2016-01-27 CN CN201680063505.XA patent/CN108349261B/zh active Active
  • 2016-01-27 US US15/763,553 patent/US10434785B2/en active Active
  • 2016-01-27 EP EP16888409.6A patent/EP3341202B1/de active Active
  • 2016-01-27 WO PCT/US2016/015217 patent/WO2017131678A1/en not_active Ceased

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